Family Unit
by Ciscogirl
Summary: A family doesn't have to be through blood or similar programming. A family can be forged through love; and a bunch of mechs trying to figure out how to make an eight-year-old go to bed before ten. Transformers Animated.
1. Ratchet

**A/N:** Bit of a project I've been working on at the TFA community on livejournal and I have to say, it's been pretty fun. Enjoy

**Summary:** Nobody wondered why Ratchet had called her that. At least no one did until later.

_**Disclaimers:**__ Transformers is the property of Hasbro and concept licensed through Takara Co. All original characters however are created by ciscogirl/ciscogoldengirl and protected by copyright laws. This work was created only for enjoyment, not with the goals of credit or monetary gain in any fashion._

**Family Unit 1: Ratchet**

* * *

When he had originally called her a protoform, he hadn't truly meant it as an insult (perhaps just a little bit…) but as the truth. Truth worked better then taunting someone anyway, especially concerning Decepticons. The slaggers seemed to be allergic to the truth. They couldn't stand it when someone began ripping into their aft plates with the stuff.

Looking back up at the alien night sky he sighed, annoyed at himself for having been so slow on the uptake. A droid with a fritzing motherboard would have gotten it quicker then he had. It didn't make him feel any better to know that the others didn't seem to get it either, he was the Medical Officer, sworn to keep an optic out for the crew at all times.

So if that were true, why in the name of Primus had he failed in seeing a tiny human protoform do as any protoform would do?

_I'm getting too old for this._ Ratchet grumbled inwardly but he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of warmth in his spark at the thought of Sari. The tiny thing at first had gotten on his last nerve relay without so much as trying. And at the same time she had found chinks in everyone else's armor, getting into their spark chambers with only a sweet word here or a seemingly innocent smile there. _Innocent. And the Decepticons are at our base begging for us to forgive them for trying to kill us several times. _He snorted at the idea.

"Enjoying the night Ratchet?" Prime's voice cut through his thoughts, scattering them momentarily. On impulse he gave a grunt as though that would be the end of it, no questions asked. He wasn't trying to push Optimus away anymore but old habits were hard to kick, especially when those habits had been with him for so long.

"Is everything alright? I don't mean to pry but its just that…Sari's acting a bit differently."

Ratchet smirked. "You mean the little glitch is becoming sensible."

Prime walked completely out of the doorway and joined Ratchet properly on the rooftop. It never ceased to amaze Ratchet at the work that had been put into Optimus Prime. Whoever the mech's Creator had been, they had labored over every single nuance of Prime's body. Glancing at Prime he saw the leader's optics focused up to the heavens, a sense of curiosity lighting them, as well as longing. "She's acting like you Ratchet. I think it's scaring Bumblebee and Bulkhead."

'_She's acting like you.' Just perfect. _Outwardly Ratchet smirked, catching Prime's optic.

"And what's wrong with trying to model the sanest one of this outdated bunch of 'bots?"

"I believe Prowl would take offense to that." Prime mused.

Waving at the comment, the Medic began to turn away, hoping that he could make it back to his quarters without any problems." He'll get over it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going…"

"Ratchet."

_Slag. He had to use _that_ tone. Some days aren't even worth getting out of recharge._

Turning back to Prime he couldn't help but frown at the look he was being given. It was the one filled with hope and the steady kind of trust that only a certain type of leader could exude. The kind that made even the most stubborn of mechs think that maybe things wouldn't go to the Pit. "If you've got something on your processor, say it already." He growled.

Unfortunately Optimus had become used to his grumbling and calmly ignored it. "Do you know something about Sari's change? It seemed abrupt, even for her."

Ratchet snorted. "Do I look like an expert in human behavior? I know everyone expects me to be Primus' personal Miracle Maker but I'm not All-Knowing." _Take it and leave it alone. Go and make sure Bumblebee isn't driving Prowl into a system crash, or keep Bulkhead from breaking anything else for the day._

For a moment it looked like he would indeed leave it alone but in the next instant his optics hardened. "But you do know something. What is it? Ever since we got back from the ship Sari's been asking when we're going back so she can help repair it. The same girl who didn't want anything to do with us leaving just this morning. The same girl who used the key in a game now won't use it for anything except the most important things."

"She's a protoform Optimus." He was old and cranky so he felt justified at the slightly shocked look that came in the leader's optics, destroying the presence he had been going for. It was hard not to laugh at the mech's look of absolute confusion so instead he simply gave him a smirk. When Optimus finally did get his bearings again he seemed almost hesitant to ask.

"But Ratchet…she's a human."

"And she's a child, very young and just as clingy as any protoform on Cybertron. Have you ever seen her interacting with any other human aside from her Creator?" he asked. Optimus shook his head, curious. "Protoforms need attention. And love. And attention. And constant supervision to make sure they don't blow themselves up. It's the same with humans and most young for that matter. Sari just happens to be in a unique situation."

"I see; our arrival disrupted her normal growth then. All the more reason to leave as soon as possible so she can…" Optimus stopped at Ratchet's irritated look. "Ratchet? Did I say something wrong?"

Ratchet allowed himself to sigh loudly, still irritated by the fact that he was the only one to have seemed to have understood Sari's change. "It isn't like that Optimus. She didn't _have_ the required attention to start with. She's done what any protoform would have done in her place. She's attached herself. To us. As in she's emulating us for proper behavior." _At least she choose the right one out of this bunch._ He thought, recalling though that the girl also seemed to hold a special bond for Optimus as well.

"What?" Optimus' look of complete shock was something Ratchet knew he'd never get tired of seeing, if only for the fact that it made the young mech's optics widen and his facial features slacken impossibly. And while he hoped for the leader's sake they he'd learn to control such bursts of emotion in the future, they did make for something mildly entertaining. Offering up a grin that didn't hold a single bit of pride (well maybe a little) he chuckled.

"She's made us into her family unit."


	2. Bumblebee

**A/N:** At first I wanted Bumblebee's chapter to be light hearted and fun but after the turn of events I think this was actually better. I was also amazed when I finally saw the episode with Bumblebee and Bulkhead trying to cheer her up. Novamyth on the lj comm had to kick my butt into gear to notice how similar it was! I suppose the planets and stars were in near perfect alignment

**Summary:** In the end, they were all she had left. And what kind of a friend would he have been if he hadn't taken her?

_**Disclaimers:** Transformers is the property of Hasbro and concept licensed through Takara Co. All original characters however are created by ciscogirl/ciscogoldengirl and protected by copyright laws. This work was created only for enjoyment, not with the goals of credit or monetary gain in any fashion._

**Family Unit 2: Bumblebee**

* * *

At first he had been kidding when he had asked Optimus if they could keep her.

Now he wasn't so sure.

After that pain-in-the-aft Powell had gleefully told her that she couldn't even prove her existence, something inside her had changed. She hadn't done that crying bit of hers, though she had made a face as if she would at any moment. It didn't take an Elite Guard to figure out that at that moment she had wanted her Creator so much. Her tiny little hands had clenched reflexively at her sides, her chin wobbling slightly even as she inhaled sharply. There was no Creator to grasp and question and seek comfort from. It made his spark jerk at the thought that she didn't even have a unit to draw strength from. Even protoforms designed for a specific purpose had that much.

She hadn't even been able to get into her own room; they had already changed the lock combination on that as well. Bumblebee had actually had to persuade Sari to use the key to get in and gather a few essentials when it became clear she wasn't responding to the recorded voice stating she was no longer allowed in. She wasn't even screaming at it. Moving around her room, she had again inhaled in that strange manner that was filled with pain. He had thought she would cry then but she hadn't, she had just simply looked at her slightly damaged room with glazed eyes.

Dr. Sumdac hadn't been the perfect Creator. When he had first asked about her Creator, Sari had smiled strangely, talking about how her Dad loved tinkering with all sorts of ideas. She giggled at some of his failures though it was clear she was so proud when she spoke of his accomplishments. But in between the simple tales of mistakes and successes, Bumblebee caught other stories; about a little human protoform asking for time with her Creator and being given unfeeling toys instead. Or when that same protoform wanted to learn with others to gain friends, she had been drawn into a solitary existence of a droning Tutorbot. Spending time with her Creator resulted in her calling to him from the other side of a thick door with trays of nutrients and urging him to go to bed or change his worn clothes. Instead of being the growing protoform, Sari learned to care for her Creator so she could glean time with him in a few precious moments in between recharge, lessons, and his work. But they had loved each other. They had shared a bond of Creator and Creation despite the oddities. Now with Sumdac gone, there was nothing for Sari.

_Wrong. _He thought stubbornly, looking at what amounted to the only other friend he had aside from Bulkhead.

So while she stood, staring at her berth numbly, Bumblebee began shuffling around her room, his head slightly bent so he wouldn't scuff the ceiling with his sensor nods. He grabbed items he believed essential such as two extra sets of clothing, some blankets and a pillow from her berth. She didn't even move as he hastily set the items in the center of the largest blanket. On a whim he reached over suddenly and grabbed a small photo of her and Sumdac smiling together over a large bowl of chocolate ice cream.

She allowed herself to be wrapped up in one of her jackets (he made sure it was the largest one with the big pockets, she loved collecting anything that caught her eye) and when he tied the blanket around the items, she still didn't say anything. He almost began wishing she _would_ cry, if only to get some kind of emotion from her. It was frightening to see the normally energetic girl so still as if something had crashed inside her.

Picking her up gently with one hand he hefted the bundle over his shoulder and walked out after one final look around the room. She fell asleep halfway down, though it had seemed more out of a culmination of exhaustion and shock then her recharge cycle kicking in. Outside she didn't even wake up when he shakily maneuvered her inside him as he transformed, somehow also getting the bundle in his back compartment.

He went to the Plant where the others were, feeling something bubble inside him like overheated lubricant. She had to stay; they couldn't just simply leave her! From a quick scan into the company's intranet (he didn't care if it was wrong at that point) Powell didn't know about the Autobots having made the building their home. All he knew was that it was a worthless building in a worthless part of the city. Feeling vindicated, he added a false memo under the topic stating that at this point it would take too many resources to demolish the place, especially since the headquarters was under heavy reconstruction.

Rolling into the common room he felt relieved at the fact that the Elite Guard had chosen to spend their recharge time on their organic-free ship. Though that Jazz hadn't seemed too bothered by it; once they had explained that she wouldn't spew metal-eating slime. Everyone was in the common room performing their evening routines at a slower pace, clearly tired over the course of events. Even Prowl seemed to be moving just a bit slower on his training mat. But it could have been a new meditation pose with that foot lifted a bit off the ground in that odd angle. Bumblebee was never really sure with the Ninja.

"Bumblebee…" Optimus began as he looked up from a data pad on the couch.

"Keep it down. Sari's asleep." Bumblebee whispered back. From the way the fire truck's optics widened, he hadn't been expecting Sari to come for a 'sleepover'.

"Is something wrong with Sari?" Bulkhead asked softly, voicing what Optimus was thinking, making Bumblebee shift uneasily on his tires. It almost seemed wrong to be telling them this. But Sari was their friend, their team mate and if something was wrong, shouldn't the others have a right to know?

Voice strained with trying to keep quiet…he told them. Everything. Even how she looked when Powell had told her that she didn't even have anything saying she existed.

"There's nothing on her?" Prowl asked, shocked enough that he had moved out of his pose to stand beside an outraged Ratchet. "That's impossible, there has to be something out there about her."

"There's nothing. Powell checked and told Sari, and he was pretty happy doing it too, the slagger. She doesn't even have anything telling when she was created." Bumblebee stated as Prime moved to his side and crouched down to peer at her through his windows.

"What kind of person would do that to Sari?" Bulkhead asked.

"A slagger of an afthead, that's what." Ratchet swore harshly, optics narrowed.

"Have they figured out who will take care of her, now that Dr. Sumdac's…" Prowl didn't finish his statement. He didn't have to.

"I'm sure they have someone." Optimus stated though he sounded doubtful of it himself.

Ratchet gave a loud 'harrumph!' before crossing his arms. "Someone who I'm sure will have only the _best_ of intentions for a kid that doesn't even exist in their databanks." He sneered. "She'd get lost in the systems and they'd probably keep her away from us for her 'protection'." He said that last word as though it were disgusting, his frame stiff and unyielding. Optimus shifted enough to meet his optics but Bumblebee couldn't figure out exactly what it was that was going on between the two. They hadn't even opened an internal frequency but it was clear something was going on.

"So what do we do then?" Bulkhead asked, getting even more worried at Ratchet's comments. "They wouldn't care about her. They don't know that she likes chocolate mint ice cream on Saturdays but only two scoops. It gets too mushy if there's more. And what about when she studies? She likes classical for algebra and jazz for English and..." Prowl stopped the larger mech's rambling with a gentle touch to his arm.

"That's why I brought some things." Bumblebee finally blurted out, his entire frame wincing at how loud he had said it. "We're all she's got Big Bot. Ratchet's right, those scrapheaps would just keep her away from us. We'd never see her again." He hated how those words sounded and they left a horrible echo in his audials the astro second he said it. He watched as Optimus turned back to eye Sari's curled form one last time before he stood.

"She's a protoform Optimus." Ratchet suddenly pointed out and there seemed to be a lot more encrypted into those words.

It spiked his curiosity and from the way Prowl had quirked one side of his optic band, the Ninja-bot was curious as well. Taking a step forward to Optimus, Prowl swept on graceful hand in Bumblebee's direction. "We're responsible for what's happened to her Creator and for what's happened to her company. And she helped stop the police drones with her key."

"I know that Prowl. I'm just worried about how Ultra Magnus will take this."

"With all due respect to Magnus, he can shove it down his vents for all I care. She needs a home." Ratchet grumbled. "She needs us."

Optimus quirked his lips at the medic's somewhat insubordinate remark before he gave a nod. "You're right, she does need a home and we're the only ones who can protect her if the Decepticons come back for that key. It's the only thing we can do."

Something very heavy vanished in his spark and Bumblebee couldn't help but relax on his tires into a slouch that would have been bad for his axels had he been an ordinary car. It vanished in the next moment when Ratchet turned his piercing gaze to him.

"You did remember to bring her school things with you, right?"

When Sari finally woke up just before dawn, Bumblebee was waiting. She was holding everything in, including her Creator's disappearance; it wasn't healthy. He had been resting near her, watching her sleep and he had briefly thought that he understood why Prowl was into being still, at least for some things. He sat up with her, watching as she recalled what had just recently happened, her eyes glazing again with pain and shock. No tears.

"Bumblebee? Why am I here?" she asked, her voice thick from sleep. She rubbed at her eyes before he reached out and pulled her into a hug, tucking her into his neck as he had seen humans do with their children when they needed comfort. Her hair tickled his neck, so strangely organic. Her tiny body gave a light quiver, as if trying to hold something back in.

"Sari welcome home."

She finally cried.


	3. Prowl

**A/N:** This one was just plain fun and Prowl demanded a longer chapter. How can I refuse a 'Bot with mad ninja skillz and a sexy visor?

**Summary:** Had he not been on the receiving end of this behavior, Prowl knew he would have been down right captivated by Sari's need for play.

**Title: Family Unit (Prowl)**

* * *

The first time she had climbed the tree, she had barely even gotten her feet off the ground before he had stepped in, delicately setting her several feet away. Gazing down at her in confusion, he could only wonder at whether or not her self-preservation programming had been mutated during her creation.

That had been in the beginning of everything when Sari had all but magnetically sealed herself to them; almost desperate for friendship even if they hadn't been the same species. While she didn't irritate him like Bumblebee, she _did_ have the same propensity to squirm about needlessly like the yellow 'Bot. He hadn't become as close to her as she had with the youngest member of the crew because of that. There was also the fact that she 'chirped' for lack of better words, constantly talking and asking him questions he _did not want to answer_. After days of refusing to answer these supposedly harmless questions, she had finally given up in preference for the fast and chatty Bumblebee. So it had been surprising to say the least to hold her in his hand as she had demanded why he had done that; still wondering just what had gotten into her mind.

However, he couldn't really say he had been surprised when he had found Sari again trying to climb the tree only a week later, doing so under the belief that he wasn't in his quarters. Hidden as he was in the tree's foliage already, he had watched her struggle to reach even the first branch of the tree. Her primary intake vents hadn't been enough as she had resorted to panting through her mouth, droplets of moisture beginning to form on her forehead as she scrabbled for a better grip. He again interrupted her, though only after she gave a pained yelp when she scratched her hand against the tree's outer shell. This time however she only pouted before vowing she'd win, causing Prowl to believe that the little human was actually turning this into a game of sorts. He hadn't been sure what to think of the revelation even as he had gently pushed her out of his quarters with a sigh.

With her third attempt (even with her bandaged hand, compliments of Ratchet) Prowl didn't know how to make her stop. She was ignoring the reality of the situation in her need for play and it was slowly driving his logical programming to glitch up. He had been disturbed to learn that this playful drive was actually considered to be _normal_. Every mammalian creature on earth used play as a means of refining their skills in order to learn and grow. Had he not been on the receiving end of this behavior, Prowl knew he would have been down right captivated by Sari's need for play. As it was, he felt as though he had taken the position of the older being constantly watching over the younger, all the while having his systems go into a slow and painful crash in his endeavors to keep her safe and whole.

By her fourth unsuccessful try however, Prowl had grudgingly also come to think of it as a game. And upon further mediation, he supposed he had also started to see her not as a strange alien, but as a protoform. A protoform who happened to be quite fragile and extremely small, but she was a protoform nonetheless. And what's more, she was a protoform with little to no knowledge save for the meaningless prattle the Tutorbot had thrown her way when it had been hers. Learning about one's past was all well and good; in fact he applauded her industrious schooling in her race's history and their basic subjects. But in so many other ways she was sorely lacking. How would she survive without the proper learning? She was so horribly tiny, even when compared to her own race. And even with the double blow of losing her father and her very proof of existence, she was still sheltered to the harsh realities of the world around her.

He blamed this thought process completely on his CPU's logic-based style of thinking, and that on the Autobot-based drive to build and protect. Protoforms had a sneaky way of getting under the armor and wrapping their caretaker's spark around their tiny hands. It seemed that even organic protoforms were no different and as she indeed had no true family unit as Ratchet had claimed, she had been searching for some semblance of one. With such thoughts there was only one course of action Prowl could take and as such Prowl began teaching her through what he had now designated 'the tree-game'.

No longer did she run into the room with a loud giggle; a shadowy pounce that had knocked her off her feet had quickly cured that. Of course he had been gentle and he had made sure she had landed into the palm of his hand. Now she hunkered close to the doorway, peering around just in case a Prowl-shaped shadow lurked in the rafters.

A digit gently scraping down her spine had forced her to become patient when she squirmed and went into his room only after waiting ten seconds.

He plucked her up by her jacket one chilly day when she made a break for the tree, running completely in the open.

She clung to the walls after that, peering around her intently with each step. He purposefully moved a shelf just enough so that she'd have something to hide behind, if only for the lesson of using whatever was in her environment.

He caught her when she giggled at a presumed victory at making it halfway around the room, ready to sprint across the trunk.

She didn't even cough when she entered the room, even going so far as to take off her shoes before entering.

He kept catching her during the day.

She began coming at night as well as day.

He woke up at irregular intervals, catching her by surprise when she was at least a foot away from the base of the tree. He had allowed himself a smirk that time as she had allowed herself to grumble about 'stupid ninja-bot enhanced hearing'. He hadn't the spark to tell her that he could hear not just her breathing, but the beating of her organic fuel pump.

She came when he had presumably gone out for a drive through the park.

He surprised her with his real body sitting at the base of the tree, not the holograph she had seen leaving the Plant. It had been excruciatingly difficult to keep a straight face at her obvious shock and then her hurriedly coming up with an excuse for being there. She wanted a story about Cybertron and he had relented, though only because she had been quick in coming up with an alternative reason.

She waited until a time when Bulkhead and Bumblebee were in his room, asking him something about a patrol to be done later that night. When it had seemed he had been focused on them, she had skirted by quickly, all but diving for the tree trunk.

This time Bulkhead had been the one to catch her, forcing her to rethink diversionary tactics. It had definitely been amusing looking at her shocked expression of being undermined in her mission by a supposed alley. He had been impressed however with her new idea, proud she had taken to thinking about different methods of 'attack'.

In the end, she had resorted to a technique he had never once thought about.

"Hey Prowl, can you help me up there, please?" she had even held out her hands beseechingly to him, smiling sheepishly. Numbly, he had leaped down from his favorite branch, kneeling to her level before smiling softly at her. The words of an old mentor came to him as he silently obeyed the request, his hands protectively encircled around her tiny form.

'_It is not the strongest or the most cunning who win at times, but the most unpredictable.'  
_  
With those words thrumming in his memory banks he smiled. This time he'd let it go, tomorrow she'd try again as always and he had set aside styrofoam balls to act as practice bullets and missiles. Her agility needed improvement.


	4. Ratchet Encore

**Title: Family Unit (Ratchet-Encore)**

**A/N:** He won. He won. Ratchet beat everyone else into submission for this. This is really rough and I wanted to put something up before I hole myself away this weekend for studying for finals (two words…advanced Linux). So here you guys go. Enjoy  
**Rating:** T (for Cybertronian cursing)

**Summary:** Powell had never had any reason to fear ambulances before.

Powell was learning very quickly that perhaps he should have treated the revelation to the supposed Sumdac daughter a bit more…delicately.

Decepticon threats were nothing compared to a large robotic creature older than his planet looming over his limo, hands fisted tightly at his sides. He was a scarred piece of scrap metal, all things considered. His chevron was ripped on one side, his face dented and scrapped while the hydraulics which powered his limbs sometimes gave almost imperceptible hisses and whines of protest when he shifted his weight. And yet right now he was posing more of a threat than any of the other aliens.

"Sir?" Robert asked shakily from the driver's seat and Powell sighed. The man was obedient but it was obvious that he would be of no help until the Autobot was taken care of. That left only one action.

"Stay in the limo Robert." He replied before opening the door and slowly stepping out, taking the time to straighten his designer clothes from the ride. The Autobot had picked the perfect time and place, almost hidden away on the highway and just within the parameters of the Old Detroit district. "May I help you?" he finally allowed himself to say only after feeling sure that his voice wouldn't shake. He couldn't stand the fact that even after all this time the Autobots could still make him uncomfortable with just their size.

"Sari." The being growled and some poetic aspect of his brain made the inner comment that the voice sounded like death incarnate. Strange that the robot's alternative mode was an ambulance. Instead of leaping back into the car as some primitive side of brain wished, he held onto the lapels of his jacket casually and tilted his head to one side, smirking.

"Sari? You mean the girl who was posing as the late Dr. Sumdac's daughter?"

Optics narrowed into fine slits of ice-blue before he suddenly bent down, steadying himself with his hands flat on the ground until he was level with Powell. True he no longer had to crane his neck but he would have preferred that any day over the gigantic face looming inches from his own. In the distance he heard a siren. Had Robert telephoned for assistance?

As if he had heard his thoughts the robot's gravelly became smug. "I've blocked communications for the moment. You'll find this is a dead spot for trying to get your police." The Autobot smirked this time and Powell stiffened his knees before they gave out. He supposed seeing that large mouth had something to do with it; some primordial fear of being eaten. That and the fact that he had probably given his thoughts away in some nearly imperceptible tell.

"This could be considered paramount to kidnapping sir." He tried, forcing himself to remain calm and in control of the situation.

"I have yet to lay a single hand on you." Powell didn't appreciate the way the Autobot strained the word 'yet'.

"So then what is this really about? I'm a busy man and I don't have time for machines that pretend to have emotions."

"I'm giving you one warning you bottom-feeder so mute it before I make you mute it. My name is Ratchet…"

"I'm quite aware of your name Autobot but again I don't concern myself with the issues…"

Whatever else he had been going to say was forgotten when the fist slammed the road, cracking the cement. The vibrations knocked him completely off his feet while the limo bounced roughly on its tires. He heard a faint whine of hydraulics in the medic's arm, almost complaining about whatever stress that might have caused but the medic didn't even flinch. In the evening light he seemed almost demonic as he slowly relaxed the fist.

"I said _mute it_."

Powell went with the Autobot's suggestion.

"I know you're type Powell. Greedy, competitive slaggers who don't give a scrap about anyone else. I'm not asking you to change and I'm **not** asking you to take back Sari. She's better off with us any day then with some no-account Pit-spawn like you." Ratchet moved closer until his face was nearly touching Powell's nose and all Powell could see were those narrowed optics. If he squinted he could just barely make out some sort of focusing lens just beyond that glass. "Mess with Sari's life in any way and I'll make sure your physical health takes a turn for the pits."

Finally, Powell's voice seemed to find some strength in the bubbling anger and fear and he got back to his feet shakily. "Are you threatening me Autobot because as I see it…"

"We're beyond the jurisdiction of Detroit, and that of Earth. We have no rights; or isn't that what you said to Optimus just a while ago when he tried to arrest that half-wired idiot?"

If there was anything Powell detested it was being argued with his own words. Glaring at the smirk the Autobot once again held, he tried to dust himself off but his hands were shaking too much, the weather in Detroit was already taking a turn for winter it seemed.

"I should have known you robots would try something like…"

"I'm not finished. Sari is ours, since she doesn't have anything here and if you hurt her, we **will** be acting in defense as she is too young to protect herself. There's not a media group out there on Earth that won't eat that up like high-grade."

Again the Autobot had a valid point. "I cannot be held accountable for the actions of a girl that does not even exist in any databank in this country or on Earth for that matter. If she tries something foolish such as getting back the company I will be forced to take 'defensive' measures myself."

The medic nodded as he lifted himself back to his full height. The cement cracked slightly under the weight but nothing more. "Let us take care of our own and you take care of yours." He raised one optic though, the coloring in them having deepened back into the normal shade most of the Autobots had. "Like I said though, I know your type and I know what kind of 'defensive' measures you mean. If she so much as get's a surface scratch that wasn't from her own playing…" he didn't finish the rest of his sentence but then, he didn't need to.

Powell sighed. The lines had been drawn it seemed and what annoyed him the most was that it was obvious who had the better advantage. There was no way he could quietly stuff the obnoxious brat in the foster care system and then have her 'vanish' through a few missing papers. And what was worse was the fact that this ancient pile of trash had pressed so hard that he knew negotiations would be impossible. All he could state were facts that the robot already knew.

Pointless. All so utterly pointless. All that could be done was to now save as much dignity as possible and perhaps throw verbal barb in reminding the robot exactly who ran Detroit.

Unfortunately the robot was already shifting its body into impossible angles and twists until an ambulance revved its engine before the businessman. "Remember this discussion Powell the next time you need a trip to the Doctor's. Who knows what might happen…" and with that disembodied statement the vehicle backed up and then wheeled sharply, speeding down the road into the darker sections of Old Detroit, away from the areas the corporation controlled via the police department. In the next instant it veered left and vanished around the corner in a flash of red and white paint.

A soft whimper from Robert jerked Powell from his angry glare where the ambulance had vanished to and with a shaky inhale, he moved back inside the limo, slamming the door behind him. Ignoring his own personal need for proper posture and a confident air he slouched into the comfortable leather seats, cursing at how cold Detroit was as body shuddered horribly. It was the weather; it was the weather and nothing more…

"Sir, if I may suggest something?" the balding man asked as he took off his hat long enough to wipe the sweat from his brow as he met Powell's eyes in the rear-view mirror. Powell couldn't blame him and didn't urge him to drive back to the company headquarters at that very moment. Another five minutes wouldn't matter this time. Prompt scheduling could go screw itself for all he cared. In fact a shot or two of something strong seemed extremely tempting. Anything to end the acidic feeling in his stomach and perhaps kill a couple million brain cells.

"Yes Robert?" he asked tiredly.

"Perhaps house calls for your health would be…less time consuming with all your scheduling?"

The suggestion reminded Powel exactly why he had hired the man in the first place and he made a note to give the man the next day off. Besides, he had to make some calls and prepare himself. While he had his hands tied and in the sights of a pissed off robot (he might as well also admit and entire detachment of robots were now keeping tabs on him) he could at least prepare. The pink-haired brat would slip up even with her metallic trash can growling over her protectively. She had been so passionate after all about the company belonging to her 'father' after all. Seeing a virtual stranger finally bringing the company real profits through military robotics would push her into acting especially if she claimed to be Sumdac's daughter. The dopy man had been an idealistic scientist that had single-handedly thrown the world into a new age but he had none of the drive and ruthlessness needed in the business world.

Looking outside as Robert finally turned the limo on, he couldn't help but smile at such thoughts. The brat would dig her own grave despite the efforts those aliens had taken, even going so far as to threaten him, now the single most powerful man in the business world. And, if he were to be honest, the most powerful man in the world with the way some of the world leaders were already vying for weapons manufacturing contracts with Sumdac Corporation.

Perhaps that lawyer who had released the 'Headmaster' would help him out in preparing a suitable strategy. True he had never found himself entirely pleased with a more passive strategy of simply looking innocent but in this day and age when aliens occupied earth and a girl had no paper trail he supposed anything could happen.

An ambulance siren wailed in the distance, dampening his rising spirits quickly. Brat or not, she had powerful guardians who would rip apart the infrastructure of any government to protect her.

"Yes Robert; house calls seem far better then dealing with a hospital with so much going on." He said aloud, forcing his voice to become calm and collective once more.


	5. Optimus Prime

**A/N:** Optimus is proving to have been the hardest to do and this just wouldn't go away so I finally gave up and just decided to put this up on the community. I know that I'll be doing something different for Optimus with his chapter but I still liked this too much to scrap it. Think of it as a way to say I'm not dead. ^__^

No excuse. None. I know. _Janus_ was supposed to be next but the chapter is turning into a veritable monster and I just had a tidal wave of chapters I wanted to get on for _Family Unit_.

**Warnings:** Fluffy goodness that has no point what so ever. Emos are strongly advised to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible before marshmallow sweetness smothers them. And did I mention it has no point save to be an 'aww' moment?

**Summary:** Just a single moment between a protoform and one of her guardians.

_**Disclaimers:**__ Transformers is the property of Hasbro and concept licensed through Takara Co. All original characters however are created by ciscogirl/ciscogoldengirl and protected by copyright laws. This work was created only for enjoyment, not with the goals of credit or monetary gain in any fashion._

**Family Unit  
Moments: Optimus Prime**

It was still hard to believe that in barely a stellar cycle; his crew had collectively adopted an alien-equivalent of a protoform, and an organic one at that. His last encounter with creatures derived from biological chemical compounds had not been ideal to say the least; he supposed it would have been perfectly understandable if he had put his foot down as the leader of the group, forbidding her very presence. In fact he was fairly certain had roles been reversed, Sentinel Prime would have done that without even an astro second of lag time between thoughts.

But then Optimus knew he never would have been able to have lived with himself if he had made that decision. For her continued aid in helping them, she had lost her father, her father's company, and even the proof of her own existence among her people. Despite that, she still stayed with them and asked for nothing more than their friendship and stories.

"Optimus?"

He blinked, her voice bringing him back to the present and he looked down at her from his place at his improvised desk of several large cargo boxes with a large panel of metal acting as a surface. Several datapads lay scattered in semi-random piles, each holding vital information that had to be looked over. From Bumblebee came the entire city layout of Detroit as well as the zones presenting the best possible communications. Bulkhead's report was the Ark's newly replenished inventory, complements of the Elite Guard. And despite the friction between the two, Optimus had discovered that Prowl relied heavily on Bumblebee's maps in his own reports concerning possible attacks and targets of interest to Decepticons and human criminals. And of course Ratchet's datapads concerned the overall health of the crew as well as the Ark's integrity, most of which seemed more like his grumbling over the loss of equipment when the Elite Guard left than anything else. "Yes?" he finally asked, spurring himself to respond to Sari. His optics had fastened themselves on one of Ratchet's more recent reports, something Optimus was still finding himself disturbed by.

Along with his normal quota of reports to give, Ratchet had begun giving Optimus monthly reports detailing everything that could be useful in raising Sari into a healthy representation of her species. And every single one of them had served as a culture shock to Optimus.

She needed to play. Her mind and her body had to be constantly tested and pushed so she could learn. She needed sleep at regular intervals for eight hours of else her health would degrade. Her fuel intake had to be monitored constantly (Ratchet had been upset but he had been terrified when they had seen the amount of 'junk food' she had ingested from the machines) so she could receive the correct nutrients. Even the slightest misjudgment in her fuel intake could possibly cause a system wide failure. Or so Ratchet's reports had warned and he had backed the warning up with his research. As an organic protoform, Sari was constantly growing both physically and mentally and it was vital she receive the right balance of nutrients.

It was oddly disquieting to think that one's body was constantly in a state of flux in such a way. Even as she leaned against his foot with her coloring sticks (crayons, he reminded himself stoutly) she was growing and she couldn't even monitor it internally.

"What's Cybertron like?" he glanced over at the paper cluttered around her covered feet (another rule from Ratchet, no bare feet in the plant so she couldn't get sick from the low temperatures), a strange mirror to his own slightly cluttered desktop. There were covered with brightly colored pictures of stars, ships that looked strangely like the Ark, and large planets covered with rings. The pictures were a vast improvement compared to the pictures of bleak landscapes with a small yellow figure lost in the middle.

"It's much larger then Earth." He began and couldn't help but smile when Sari bent her head and made a circle on a new blank piece of paper. "And it has two moons. There is a giant rift…" he set the datapad he had been looking over (he could look over more of Ratchet's rules concerning Sari later) and stood up from the cargo box acting as a chair to carefully sit down next to Sari. He pointed to the northern part of the circle. "…right here."

"How big is it?"

"Very big, it goes almost all the way up to the equator. The cities on Cybertron are as big as some countries here on Earth."

"Really? That's awesome! What are some of them? Did you live in them? What was it like?"

He ignored the slight thrum of home sickness tightening in his spark, instead focusing on Sari's rapt expression. And hadn't Ratchet intoned that by describing things she could improve her 'imagination'? "I lived in Iacon. It was the only city left after the Great War that still had workable factories. The others had been left in ruins by all the battling." He moved a servo slightly, pointing out the general location, almost opposite of the rift she had put in. "Some of the skyscrapers in the city are so large they can be seen from space."

"Like spikes?"

"Yes, like spikes." He nodded and watched as she bent down over the paper and with a gray crayon drew spikes that stuck out oddly from the sphere in a rough representation of the planet. "The entire planet is metal." Metal roads, metal buildings, metal ground where tires rolled seamlessly over them and where the skies were open to the galaxy above. "And there are lights everywhere in Iacon and yet you can still see the stars in some places of the city. The last I heard, even Polyhex was beginning to seem as if the Great War had never existed." He didn't tell her that it was again turning into an abysmal pit where the word Decepticon wasn't deemed a curse.

Yellow dots. Green dots. Red dots were added and in an effort perhaps to create a contrast, Sari took up a black crayon and began coloring the area around the planet to mimic space. She left tiny pinpricks of white for stars however.

"It sounds awesome." Sari murmured as she concentrated and Optimus couldn't help but smile at her as she worked.

"It is home."

"You must miss it a lot Optimus."

"I do...but…"

Sari stopped her work and looked up to stare at him curiously as he eyed her half-completed picture. "If I hadn't left it in the first place I probably never would have been here on Earth with you and the others."

It was worth ignoring the longing to see her smile so much at his words. And to be honest, Earth was quickly becoming something of a home to him. The sunlight, the humanity, the noise, the battling, the constant state of change and diversity.

Perhaps one day he could even say he liked Earth more than Cybertron.


	6. Megatron

**A/N: **Be in awe as I finally write something dark and twisted! This is the first time I've ever written anything remotely angsty and to say I'm feeling accomplished would be an understatement. Just give me another day to preen over this and I'll get back to completely that chapter of _Janus_. Promise.

Takes place approximately one week following Sumdac's capture.

**Summary: **If a life was never meant to have even existed then is it a fluke as one sees it...or a gift in the eyes of another?

_**Disclaimers:**__ Transformers is the property of Hasbro and concept licensed through Takara Co. All original characters however are created by ciscogirl/ciscogoldengirl and protected by copyright laws. This work was created only for enjoyment, not with the goals of credit or monetary gain in any fashion._

**Family Unit: Specialty Chapter  
****Codes: Megatron**

"I know your secret."

It was always entertaining to watch Isaac stutter and crouch in his chair in a vain attempt to make himself as small as possible. However this time Megatron found it especially entertaining when Isaac became as still as a human could be with his little hands balled up into fists. The human, though dim and idealistic in many areas, was not completely stupid and for that alone Megatron would forgo killing him. What was the purpose in disposing the one creature that had created an entire empire from the mere bits of coding gleaned from his peripheral memory? And who else could he get to build his space bridge at this point?

"How?" Isaac whispered while licking his organic lips in a gesture Megatron had come to see as being nervous. Stepping closer to the little human's enclosure, Megatron smirked at Isaac though the man wasn't even looking at him. Instead the man was staring straight at the monitor though it was apparent he wasn't even paying any attention to the data.

"The man who specializes in reverse-engineering asks me how I knew about his 'daughter'? The real question should be 'how could I not?'" he bent slightly at the waist and he couldn't help but chuckle at the way Isaac cringed. "Really Professor, even a pile of scrap could tell. I have to say the eyes were an elegant touch however, completely unlike anything else in a human under normal circumstances. So was she your 'happy accident'?"

"What does it matter Megatron? The Autobots will never let you get her…" It was the beginning of a speech that Megatron wasn't going to let him finish.

"I don't want to get her. And even if I did; all I would have to do to catch her would be to whisper that you were alive. She's completely devoted to her Creator. Just as any protoform should be."

"She is a little girl, not a protoform!" Isaac shouted, leaping up from his chair in such a surge of energy that the chair crashed backwards. "She's _my_ little girl!"

"Wrong Sumdac." Finally Megatron allowed himself to frown, bending a bit more over Sumdac's prison. It wasn't enough for him when the man began shivering in fear despite his paternal rage. After all those years locked away in a shell of his former self he wanted this organic creature to suffer. "We both know that is a lie and it is foolish to believe otherwise. You tampered with things that never should have been touched by humans, much less seen by them. What makes you even assume I will allow this façade of yours to continue? In fact I should be making it a priority to destroy this accident."

"She has nothing to do with this! If you want to be angry then be angry at me. I was the one who did the 'tampering'." Isaac bravely said. They were the sort of words an Autobot would say. It made his innards speed up in disgust to the point that his inner temperature rose slightly.

Tightening his fists behind his back, Megatron glared at Isaac. "Not only did you insult me for stellar cycles with your ignorance but you used my own codes for your own desires and ambitions. Tell me Sumdac, did you hope to have a daughter just so you could have someone who wouldn't laugh behind your back?" The words hit him directly and despite the green light given off by the barrier, Megatron could see Isaac pale, stumbling slightly as if struck.

"That never came to my mind. But I doubt a senseless monster like yourself could understand why I wanted a child."

"If it pleases you to continue to call me a monster then far be it from me to dissuade you. However…" he put a hand to his chin in a mock thoughtful pose as he straightened, smiling unkindly as he did so. "…if that makes me a monster, I wonder what that would make your dear little Sari? You did after all copy my codes into her primary functions. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some codes you didn't understand." He quirked an optic ridge at Isaac. "Was there? A tiny piece that might have slipped by that even the great Isaac Sumdac couldn't understand?

There had been. Even if Sari had been made to be as perfect as possible, Isaac was just a simple organic. Mistakes made the organics survive through thousands of years after all and they used such words as 'evolution' and 'adaptations' to hide that fact. Predictably Isaac gasped, flabby little body shaking and organic eyes as wide as allowable without them popping out. "Sari is not a monster!"

His blatant refusal to answer the question was all the answer Megatron needed. Spilt energon near hungry cyberwolves.

"Oh but Professor, she has my own codes. Why even through her organic mask it's as visible as a new optic lens. I'm surprised the Autobots have yet to see it but I'm sure that when they do they'll treat her much more differently." Well, perhaps not at first but with the right pushes cracks would form in the family unit they had made with the fluke. Had he the time and the desire it could actually be almost too easy to pit them against one another…the medibot would most likely be the first. Veteran fighters normally always had a healthy dose of hatred for the opposing side.

"I trust the Autobots with my life and with Sari's. Even if they had known they would never have…"

"Wouldn't they? Come now Sumdac be reasonable. Even before the existence of this miserable world of yours, Cybertron was at war. It is all anyone knows and all that matters in the scheme of things. I would not be surprised if Sari herself was somehow helping the Autobots out of a misguided glitch. She may even see this war as normal to an extent, despite her ignorance of the details."

"If there is a glitch Megatron, it is that Sari has a good heart despite her coding. I've taught her everything I know. She knows who her friends are and who loves her. And she most certainly knows the difference between good and evil." Isaac argued as he tipped his chair back into its upright position. His little eyes darted everywhere but Megatron's stare and for some reason that only made him angrier.

"Evil?" squatting down to look at Sumdac more closely he took pleasure in the way Sumdac scrambled backwards for all his courageous words. "Good and evil have no leeway in the universe. There is only the material wealth and those who have enough power to get it. What you see as good is simply weakness that has delusions of grandeur."

"And I suppose you know better." Sumdac muttered beneath his breath but to Megatron's audials it was as if the man had shouted.

"Of course. One day Sari will as well. She will eventually question the world and her place in it. And if even a glimmer of myself shows up within her—as I know it will—she will see it as it is. A place where the strong dominate through power and brute force."

"Sari will never think that. Never."

"Is that doubt I hear Professor? I think it is." Megatron lifted a hand to touch the plating of his chassis, keeping his optics locked onto Isaac even as he did so. "She was built from _my_ coding, from _my_ wiring, and from _my_ very structure. In every way I hold more sway, more power over her than you. By the very definition of 'father' I should be hers…not you." He laughed at the irony of it though on some level it sickened him to have such an organic connotation related to him.

"You need to look deeper Megatron. Being a father means more than simply contributing a few bits of material to her creation. It means teaching and caring, loving what you've made that you would do anything for them. Something I highly doubt someone like you could ever do." Strangely, Isaac seemed to gain the strength to look him straight in the optic as he spoke and even when Megatron frowned abruptly he didn't turn away as he normally would.

"And that would be one of the few things you'd be correct about Professor. One of the _very_ few things." Megatron replied disgusted by what the human was spewing from his mouth. "But the fact remains; she is mine. And she will question herself and her purpose. If she has any sense she may grow to despise you and this world of yours. When the time comes Professor—and it will—I will be there. Waiting."

"To tell her about the facts of life? To tell her how much better it is to steal and destroy innocent lives?" Isaac demanded.

"Yes. The programming is there. She will see things as I myself saw them when I was young and learned the realities of the world. And if she acts as she should with her programming, she will reject both you and the Autobots."

"Programming isn't everything Megatron. A person can still choose to be different. Even if they're robotic."

"Programming governs a mechanized creation in the same way instincts do an organic."

Isaac snorted. It seemed where Sari was concerned the man grew in courage, a stupid and careless mistake but Megatron ignore it for the moment. The conversation was actually becoming a bit interesting, and he had to admit, Sari herself was quickly becoming a strange novelty. True, she would never change the grand scheme of what he had in mind but she might pass the time and who knew, in a few years things might be different. "Have you ever heard of the term 'nurture versus nature' Megatron?" Isaac asked, breaking through his thoughts.

"I do not belittle myself in learning about the culture of your species." It made his spark burn when Isaac actually smirked up at him, his ugly little face radiating amusement.

"I take that as a no."

"What does that have to do with Sari?"

"While Sari was never intended to be a child, she is now and I wouldn't change that for all the gold in the world. She has become the reason for my life and I know that even when she learns about her true self she will not do what you think." He tilted his head slightly and that organic smirk actually deepened, creating even more wrinkles around his eyes. "She will surprise even you Megatron. In fact, I can prove it."

"Oh?" Megatron asked, curious.

"Say nothing to my daughter and as we humans say, 'let the chips fall where they may'. You and your kind live for so long that it won't even matter if it takes a few years."

"Let the chips fall…? You would give your daughter's future to nothing more than simple chance?" Megatron asked, smiling. "I never thought you could be so unfeeling."

Sumdac shifted uneasily but he still kept that damnable smirk. "That is what you think. All I ask is that you don't tell her, that you leave things as they are and let her make the decisions when the time comes. Without any outside influences. If you think so much about programming and bits of code than you won't have to even lift a finger. And if I'm right, things will simply go as they should."

"What kind of a deal is that, no Decepticon in their right mind would agree to such a thing with no challenge and no prize at the end." But despite his words, Megatron was thinking about agreeing to it so as to prove to Isaac that he was wrong in placing so much faith in a protoform that never should have existed.

"I think a Decepticon would. If only to see if Sari turns against her friends and family simply because of what made her." At long last his smirk began to fade, unease replacing it. "To see if they were right all along and to see if Sari turns against everyone or…comes back to the source of her creation."

Would she be defiant as always or would she submit just so she could find some kind of peace, some manner of belonging? In the Great War it had happened time and time again with Autobots who had been made by Decepticons. Despite their lives filled with hating the enemy they would always question their being and their spark. The questions were always the same; who were they? Why were they fighting others who loved violence and the thrill of battle? Weren't they kin despite it all? They had the same guidelines, the same coding, the same wonder and excitement during a battle.

When they came to Megatron, confused and terrified of their own bodies, desperate for answers, he became their answer to everything. And he would tell them the same logic of every single Decepticon in his army; why fight what burns within every system? Why fight against that programming that thrums and makes you enjoy explosions and fighting? Why fight the programming that makes you love being sly and tricking others for your own enjoyment?

"Very well. You have yourself a deal then Sumdac." And yet…

…staring at the way Sumdac's body sagged with obvious relief at having won something, no matter who slight, bit at his pride.

"She is my daughter. She is mine no matter what you say." Sumdac mumbled before mechanically going back to his work without a second glance. His body seemed to have aged before Megatron's optics. Perhaps the man knew already he had lost or perhaps just simply having bet the very livelihood of his precious accident had consumed him. What ever the reason, it made him feel marginally better despite having just degraded himself to having stated he would not interfere. What was worse was the fact that he honestly believed he would not break that deal, if only to enjoy when Sari would turn on everyone and everything she loved.

He would have to remember to keep the two alive once he had Cybertron in his grasp.

**A/N:** I don't know if anybody even remembers the discussion some time ago on the community, but it was concerning a snippet of Sari actually being a cyborg. I made the comment that if it was true, the writers had left hints in her very appearance. Namely her eyes and how they were red opposed to Isaac Sumdac's eyes. In the storyline, Sumdac went all reverse-technology on the remnants of Megatron's old body and I thought that the red eyes (red Decepticon optics) signified the relationship of the technology he used to bring his daughter to life.


End file.
